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Install PowerShell on Windows Server 2008

By default, PowerShell is not installed on versions of Windows Server prior to Windows Server 2008 R2. For Windows Server 2008 and 2008 R2 the installation binaries are included with OS to simplify installation (for other versions of Windows you will need to download the binaries here). It should be noted that PowerShell is not confined to use on Windows Server operating systems – it can also run on consumer versions such as Windows 7, Vista and XP)

In terms of prerequisites, PowerShell only has one key requirement .NET version 2.0 or above. In Windows Server 2008 and most recent versions of Windows operating systems, the .NET Framework is installed by default. In Windows Server 2008 and 2008 R2, PowerShell is an optional feature that can be installed using either Server Manager, or as part of an unattended installation.

Install PowerShell using the Server Manager as follows:

Start the Server Manager and select the option to add a feature.

Select PowerShell as the feature to be added and click Next.

Wait for the installation to complete.

Since PowerShell is an Operating System feature, the installer will place PowerShell’s core components in the %systemroot%\system32\windowspowershell\vx.xx folder (with x.xx being the version of PowerShell which was installed). In addition, the installer also adds help files, formatting XML, ”getting started” docs, plus a sample profile file to this location.
As PowerShell is a managed application using the .NET Framework, the installer also installs PowerShell’s core binaries in the .NET GAC (Global Assembly Cache).